BMW has been fettling the fourth-generation of its X3 off-roader in a bid to ensure the model remains one of the company's best money-spinners. Prices at home in Germany will start at €57,900 when the SUV leaves showrooms later this year and the manufacturer has opted for a no-risk policy on this stop-gap update. The next SUV will be based on the much-vaunted "new class" which features new modular drive system and operating systems, while this new model retains the same multi-powertrain CLAR platform as its predecessor.
But let's not jump the gun. The latest X3 is a more conservative competitor to cars such as the Audi Q5 and Mercedes GLC although its garish, glowing LEDs around the kidney grille may deter some buyers. The styling is generally restrained for a contemporary BMW and the focus is on proportions rather than provocation.
It is no coincidence that the car is a few centimetres wider and flatter and looks crisper than the old model. Where chrome once sparkled, LED strips now gleam - for example around the otherwise ordinary kidney grille. Only the huge air outlets underneath still bear witness to the exuberance to which the BMW designers have occasionally succumbed in recent times.
The fourth generation of the best-seller has grown to length of 4.76 metres and the wheelbase is a useful 2.87 metres.
The X3 still serves as a great family taxi and with between 570 and 1,700 litres of space at hand, the boot behind electric tailgate can take yet another travel bag. Abo.
